The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to heat sink and card retention in an information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
The latest generation information handling systems have growing challenges related to the structural requirements driven by the increased retention forces required by heat sinks and expansion cards such as, for example, graphics cards. New technology has increased the power of expansion cards, resulting in increases in their weight and requiring higher retention forces in order to prevent their disengagement during shock and vibration events. In addition, information handling system standards such as, for example, the Intel BTX board standard, dictate the positioning of the processor and the expansion card, which can increase the difficulty of providing the needed retention forces. For example, the BTX board standard requires that the expansion card be centrally located in the chassis, near the processor, and away from the walls of the information handling system chassis which otherwise could be used to provide retention.
Furthermore, connectors and cables in these information handling systems raise a number of issues. Conventionally, the cables and connectors in the information handling system are allowed to run randomly throughout the information handling system chassis in different orientations depending on their state of use. This can result in inconsistent electromagnetic interference results, as the cables and connectors can become positioned over information handling system components, which can increase development and test costs. The cables and connectors are also more prone to chafing due to, for example, rubbing against sheet metal, which can cause failures. The random positioning of the cables and connectors can lead to additions customer service calls, as the location of the cables and connectors is random, making the cables and connectors harder to find. Finally, unused power cables may need to be capped or covered for safety reasons, increasing costs.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide for heat sink and card retention absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above.